Fostering pets with Little Rock Animal Village

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) -- This time of year the Little Rock Animal Village gets crowded with stray dogs and cats. And they need YOUR help!

If you aren't quite ready to make a full-time commitment as a dog or cat owner, you might be just right to foster.

When you foster cats, kittens, dogs, or puppies in your home, you create space for more pets at the shelter. Whether you live in a house or an apartment, in the city or out in the country, they can find a foster match for you.

Options:

-If you want a short-term foster animal, you might want to foster for the PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin' Program. The Village has a grant from Petsmart Charities that allows them to send dogs and puppies to other states with low shelter populations. "Rescue Waggin" fosters are generally in your home for less than a week.

-If you have training skills (or a desire to learn some) you can take in a dog with a trainable behavior issue such as jumping up, mouthing or food guarding or a cat that is afraid and hides at the back of her cage. Dogs, in particular, have more confidence when they have skills such as knowing how to sit and walk on a leash. Having these skills also makes them more adoptable. You can take the animal in for as long as you can before returning it to The Village or you can promote the animal on your own, to help it find a home.

-Are you the nurturing type? The shelter can be a stressful place, so taking a foster into your home can often speed up the healing process for an animal with a mild infection or one that is recovering from an injury. During the summer they get in hundreds of kittens who aren't old enough to be put up for adoption, but have already weaned.

You can download an application for fostering by clicking here. Or you can call 501-376-3067 or visit them at 4500 Kramer Street in Little Rock.